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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · dip · pitch · stem · straw · band · land · march

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stem — to come from
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a ring
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. land — ground
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com